Daniel's Charge
by Centurion Tiberis
Summary: This is the story of a young solider's first and last battle in the army of The Confederate States of America.
1. The Begining

Daniel's Charge

His name was Daniel Sanderson, he was a young soldier in the army of the Confederate States of America, then he became one of 'The Honored Dead'

This is the story of his last battle.

July 3 1863

The division had been waiting in the woods for fifteen minutes now, and Daniel was growing impatient. How long is it going to take? He wondered. The yankees must be nearly gone, how could the city-boys from New York stand all this shellen? As he thought this a shell exploded a short ways down the line, sending metal fragments and wooden splinters whirling through the air. Most of the fragments crashed through the undergrowth, harming no one. Yet a few still met flesh and bone, tearing through them like cloth.

Daniel flinched and turned away from the dead and wounded, clutching his musket. As he waited he double checked his musket, his canteen, his cartridge box, and checked again.

Another shell exploded, this time just outside of the woods, right over a caisson. The horses pulling it stumbled and fell, the driver was thrown free, he was already wounded by the shell, but when he hit the ground Daniel could tell that we would not get up again.

Daniel suddenly felt very thirsty, as he reached for his canteen a third shell blew up, only twenty feet away, a branch in the tree that Daniel was leaning against fell. It landed on Daniel's chest, he threw it off easily, but his canteen fell from his grasp and sloshed on the ground. When Daniel picked it up he noticed he was felling damp on his back as well as were his canteen spilled. As he twisted around he gasped, lying there, on the ground was a severed arm!

As he scrambled to his feet he slipped on his canteen and fell again, spilling more of his water. Daniel cursed and got to his feet again. Another shell burst, this one again in the field ahead, an officer that had been riding along the line was too close, he fell, bleeding profusely from a wound in his shoulder. An aide dismounted hurriedly and rushed to his side, calling for a surgeon.

Another shell detonated, right over the crashed caisson, a huge explosion erupted from the ammunition inside of the wreck, sending fiery debris high into the sky.

The explosions continued, fading in to a frightful blur to Daniel. Finally the order to form up in the field was given, Daniel stood, took one final sip from his recovered canteen and, tightly clutching his musket, walked out of the woods, there with the rest of his regiment he walked into his place in the line.

Soon after Daniel had fixed his bayonet on his musket, the General spoke, it was his usual speech.

"Men, remember your wives, your mothers, your sisters and your sweethearts", then he gave the order to march, fifteen thousand men set off, bound for a clump of trees, one mile distant…

To Be Concluded


	2. The Charge

Chapter 2

3:00 P.M

3 July 1863

As Daniel marched, he felt a swelling of pride in his chest, at last, they were on their way! Although not long after this sensation arose it was dispelled by the realization of just how many cannons and muskets were being readied to fire, at him!

Daniel broke out in a sweat, he suddenly began to doubt that he would survive this charge and the battle afterword. His hands began to tremble, and he suddenly had trouble coordinating his limbs.

The first of many cannon balls ripped past the lines of men, to high to kill any of the Virginians marching across the field. Daniel began to sweat even more, he began to have trouble walking, let along keeping in step.

Another twelve pound sphere of iron flew towards the advancing division, this ball was only three feet off the ground as it passed through the lines, only five feet from Daniel. The man two files over from Daniel had been hit directly, the remains of his torso several feet from his legs, a similar fate was shared by the man behind him.

Daniel's resolve was stiffened by the grim fate of his comrades. If he was going to die, then by God's sake, he was going to take a yankee or two with him! His hands stopped shaking, and he stayed in step. They had only covered one hundred yards, there was still the best part of a mile to go.

As the division marched on volley after volley of cannonballs ripped holes in the Confederate line, yet no ball touched Daniel, men had arms ripped of, as well as legs. Blood flowed freely. Several times Daniel witnessed the heads of one of his comrades torn free of it's neck and watched their bodies falling, limp, their blood shooting out of their necks in rapid bursts. Other men simply disintegrated as they took head on hits to their torsos. Red mist formed around those unfortunate souls.

None of this shook Daniel, he knew that he was going to die, all that was left was the dying, until then, he marched.

And marched, as more men died all around him, yet he kept on marching, he no longer cared for where he was going, he just marched with the rest of his division. Fifteen minutes or fifteen lifetimes later, they reached the fence, from there it was only three hundred yards to the enemy, now Daniel had a new purpose, get over the fence.

The first men that mounted the fence were instantly killed by a new volley of cannon fire, yet more men came, over the fence or through the newly opened holes where the cannon had hit. Some men stopped to help others over, many more men were blown apart or slain in other ghastly ways.

Then it was Daniel's turn, he leaped up the first rail, and balanced there for a second then he was thrown over the falling fence as a shot from one of the Federal cannon ahead hit one of the fence posts. He landed heavily, but instantly scrambled to his feet, he was bleeding from several small wounds but he felt none of his pain, his mind was gone.

Soon after he began to continue toward the enemy he saw one of the Generals riding past him, galloping to the head of his advancing men. Daniel watched as a cannon's shot ripped through the air and blasted him of his saddle, his horse turned and galloped away.

Many of the men were trying to reform a battle line, Daniel found himself in the first rank of men. Another General rode up and ordered the men to begin firing, after the first volley the Federal counter volley struck him from his horse.

Daniel and the rest of his regiment began to press forward, but now they were being dropped left and right by yankee muskets, yet on they pressed, all the way to the stone wall, just over it was a Federal battery of cannon. Daniel hesitated, but then saw that no one was manning the guns.

The General that had given the short speech at the beginning of the charge leaped up onto the wall and shouted, with his hat on his sword:

"Come on boys, give them the cold steel! Who will follow me?" Daniel leaped up onto the wall just as the General leaped down. Several hundred men also followed. Just as the men cleared the wall Daniel saw through the thick smoke, regiment after regiment of Yankees, all aiming at him and the General.

The Federal muskets spoke once in a deafening roar, and hundreds of bullets soared towards Daniel and all of the other men.

Daniel was knocked down, his chest opened, and as he lay upon the ground, he perceived, through dying eyes, the General hit thrice, then slump against a cannon.

Then, Daniel Sanderson died.


End file.
